Mascots are great. A good mascot name and you’re set. A bad one and you become the laughing stock of the league.

In high school (in Dublin, Ohio) we were the Celtics (pronounced Kel-ticks – nobody ever got it right). I personally loved it. It represented a battle driven people related to the name of our town. Not everyone felt that way, though. It was really hard to get over that pronunciation.

Lately, USA Today has reached out and tried to find the best high school mascot names in each state across the United States. So naturally, it was the Granite State’s turn.

Five schools were nominated: the Colebrook Academy Mohawks, the Franklin Tornadoes, the Hillsboro-Deering Hillcats, the Manchester Central Little Green and the Newmarket Mules.

The Hillcats actually ran away from the pack in voting, but I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with most of them. Personally (with no background knowledge), I think they’re all creative, but the Tornadoes just doesn’t strike my fancy – all this way away from Tornado Alley in the Midwest.